Devoted

Koontz, D. (2020). Devoted. Seattle: Thomas & Mercer.

Woody Bookman is scared, he’s only eleven years old and he is certain there’s a monster after him and his mother, one that killed his father. Yet in all his eleven years of life, he’s never spoken a word, but thankfully he’s not alone. A Golden Retriever named Kipp has the unique ability to communicate to people without speaking, just like Woody and when he hears the boy speak to him, Kipp knows he must save Woody. But Woody’s fears are real, someone is coming, a man filled with darkness and a twisted plan in mind for the boy and his mother. Can they be saved from his primal power?

I couldn’t help but feel deeply and personally offended by this book, saying that Woody has been diagnosed with autism but without any of the trials and pains that come with it, the mother even going so far as to call it an ‘affliction’. Even after some research, I found that the author has either no or very little connection with anyone on the spectrum, although he does donate a lot to the CCI. The flow of the narrative was good, the combined worry and love of the mother felt for her son shone through without having it spelt out.

(Side note: One of my own characters is also autistic, and even though I myself am autistic I still research everything for hours so I can to make sure the character is properly represented, right down to meltdowns, which I’ve experienced first-hand.)